Jody DeVere Writes Featured Article for iMedia

AskPatty.com's
president urges marketers to rethink their strategies for reaching the
powerful female auto consumer market, and offers tips to gain their
trust and, in turn, their business.

The
advent of the internet has enabled women to find the resources and
information they need to take charge of their own finances and buying
decisions, and give voice to their needs and preferences.

With this rising tide of the economic power of women, car
dealerships and automotive retailers need to devote time, resources and
budget to gain a larger share of this huge market.

By 2010, women are expected to control $1 trillion, or 60 percent of
the country's wealth, according to research conducted by BusinessWeek
and Gallup.

Women purchase more than 50 percent of all new cars, and in some
brands up to 62 percent. They purchase 48 percent of all used cars and
40 percent of all new trucks.

The solo woman's market -- defined as never-married women, ages 25
to 44 -- will approach $200 billion in consumer purchases by 2006,
according to Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com.

By targeting your online marketing efforts to women and recognizing
and responding to the way that women buy, you can influence her
decision to purchase. Women are 28 percent more likely to buy from a
retailer that she knows is trained to address her specific needs
(source: "How to Get Rich Selling Cars and Trucks to Women" authors
Maddox/Smye).

Here are the basic steps and tools you will need in order to market
effectively to women, gain their trust and, in turn, their business.

Integrate the message. Make sure the
woman-friendly message is consistent across your brand, from the
showroom to the service drive, your website and your internet sales
department. Signal to women in your marketing and advertising you are
thinking about them and their needs and are striving to win their
business.

Polish the approach. Treat and picture women as
capable and professional in your online marketing and advertising
efforts. Our society recognizes many valid roles for women, but this
isn't always reflected in ads-- seldom are women shown in work
settings, business roles or positions of responsibility and authority.
Use real women rather than the runway model as the benchmark for these
graphic depictions of women. Girls and women in ads are often presented
as beautiful, but these ads offer a very limited, narrow view of
beauty.

Emphasize information. Having a vehicle
configurator on your dealer website or detailed information about your
inventory is important. J.D. Power states in its recent Online Automotive Review that women are more likely to research for a vehicle purchase directly on the dealer website.

Focus on relationships. Create relationships with
your women customers by providing information and content on your
websites and in your marketing programs designed specifically for
women. Set up a two-way approach, answering her questions, speaking her
language and listening to her needs. Provide content that interests
women consumers-- car seat safety, crash test ratings, car care tips
and so forth.

If 51 percent of car buyers are women and 85 percent of all vehicle
purchases are influenced by women, what percent of your marketing and
advertising budget are you willing to devote to attract, sell, retain
and increase loyalty with this majority of the American auto buying
market?